Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SeoulShakin]

The job in question was a public school position was it not? As far as I know, all public schools require the criminal record check, as they should.

[spliff]

[Satori]

[BuHaoChi]

....

[freshking]

[fiveeagles]

[thepeel]

A criminal record check should be a condition not of employment but of a working visa.

[eamo]

I'm all in favor of doing criminal background checks for teaching jobs. I think half the people who object to them don't even know why they are objecting. It's like a knee-jerk reaction. They haven't thought it through.

It's like the people who whine about CCTV camera's. If you're not a criminal then these things don't threaten you. Indeed, they may even protect you one day if you're mugged or in a debated traffic accident.

In fact, being able to show a clean record should be something that people are proud to put in their resume.

As far as teaching in Korea goes, if I was in charge, mandatory criminal checks and some kind of certificate relating to TESL/TEFL would be required.

I'm getting tired of the Korean government allowing schools to fly bums into Korea for free, setting them up in apartments, giving them a job with children, not giving any job training.....etc..........then the Korean media finds these bums and gives all ESL teachers a bad name.

(BTW, I really believe that at least 90% of foreigners teaching English in Korea are well-meaning people trying to do their best. Qualified or not).

It has always been too easy to get a teaching job in Korea. Why can't even degree's be checked?

I'd like to see much tougher vetting of teachers and qualifications which show some kind of commitment to teaching English.

Maybe, just maybe, one day, ESL teachers will get some respect in Korea.

[flying_chicken]

I agreed that criminal check should be enforce. But is it manadtory for a recruiter to ask for it? I'd probably do as told if it was required by schools itself (public school).

OP why would I go through the trouble all the trouble just to get this to a recruiter when the job I applied for didn't guaranteed the position yet. Where I'm from the process is a pain, you'd have to get a verification from the immigration or consulate if you're oversea then send it then it'd take at least another 2-3 weeks and this might be true for most other western countries as well.

Good luck on recruiting teachers with that requirement. Never have I heard of any recruiters responsible for anything when things went wrong between the school and the employers. From anything I learnt here, recruiters are bunch of blood suckers.

[Captain Corea]

I had to run a criminalcheck to work with children in Canada (and the Police) - both times I was fine in doing it.


I would love it if they mandated it for E2s here.

[cbclark4]

I don't mind having a criminal background check so long as nothing shows up.

[Boodleheimer]

[Fresh Prince]

Just to clarify, most companies back home neither make the potential employee pay for the criminal background test nor do they make the employee responsible for managing the task of ordering it and sending it to the parties that want to look at it. Instead, in the job advertisement states that employment is on the condition that a criminal background check is passed. If the company wants to hire someone, they simply provide a form for the potential employee to sign. The form gives the company the authority to order and pay for the background check.

The issue that I think a lot of people would have with the background checks is that there is no regulation to protect foreigners from misuse of the information. A background check as part of the visa process or for a public school is one thing as it is part of a government body and has checks and balances to make sure the information is safeguarded however there are no protections for foreigners from predatory hokwons or recruiters that want to misuse this highly personal information.

[Fresh Prince]

[Captain Corea]